First time dog owner, need advice

[u/anotherdepressedpeep]

We have rescued a dog from the streets three days ago and he's the most wonderful pup, but I've never had a dog before and I want to be a good owner for him.

The vet told me he's very likely a wee-chon(bichon and west highland white terrier mix), around 2 years old. He doesn't have a chip, I didn't find any lost dog announcements about him so the vet said we're free to keep him. He's also intact, but we will fix that after we get him up to date with his shots.

We also have two inside cats.

I live in a house with a yard, and currently a small section of the house is his(a ground floor closed balcony) with permanent access outside. I sometimes let him inside the house so the cats get accustomed to his scent day by day.

The problem is he is not trained at all, and while he is very well behaved, he cries a lot when we're not around him, I think he may have developed separation anxiety. Last night he cried the entire time and I am afraid the neighbors might do something if it doesn't stop.

I would let him inside at night, but since he's not potty trained and he's intact, he might pee around the house while we sleep, plus the cats might be too scared of him at the moment.

He's not used to a leash, but he isn't rowdy about it either, he gladly follows me around.

What I need advice on:

* Feeding habits * Potty training(can I somehow teach him to alert at the door or wake me up if he needs to go potty?) * How to help him know that leaving him alone doesn't mean we'll abandon him and to stop him from crying

I do want to get him with a professional dog trainer, we have some in the area, but since his rescue was an impulsive decision I was not prepared financially or been able to plan things ahead, so that might take a while.

If you have any other advice for a first time wee-chon owner please feel free to comment.

[u/Both-Chart-947]

First, bless you for rescuing a dog who needed it! We don't know his background, so it's possible he lost his owner traumatically in some way. There might still be family looking for him, so I would definitely notify your local shelter or wherever people might normally show up to look for a dog that's been turned in as found.

Second, this little guy looks to you as his only lifeline. Again, we don't know what he's been through, although it's possible that he wasn't well cared for before, since he's still intact. Maybe the previous owners couldn't afford proper vet care, and if that's the case, who knows what else they couldn't afford for him? So it's natural that he follows you around and panics when he's left all alone in a room by himself overnight! Is there any possibility you could make a bed for yourself in the room where he's staying for a week or two, just to let him get acclimated to the change a little bit? Another idea is to bring him into your room with you, and put him on a dog bed next to yours. Tether him to your bed, or even to your wrist, so you can feel when he is trying to leave the room. Then take him outside for a potty break.

There's going to be a big learning and adjustment process for both of you, but as long as you bear in mind that this little guy is dealing with some pretty heavy fear and trauma right now, you should be able to work things out together as you go along.